Surface Pro 3: Understanding the Hardware in Each Version

While Surface Pro 3 falls short of offering a true configurator for mixing and matching components during the online purchase process, it still provides more options than any previous Surface device. This time around, you can choose between product editions with different CPUs that span the range of Intel's Core mobile processor lineup. Which makes the most sense for you?

If you're familiar with previous Surface devices, you know that Surface RT and Surface 2—both of which are based on ARM chipsets—each offered only minimal configuration choices: Your only real choice was whether to get the 32 GB or 64 GB version of the product. The original Surface Pro was similar, though that product offered both 64 GB and 128 GB versions at first.

For Surface Pro 2, Microsoft expanded the possibilities greatly: With this version there were/are four product versions offering a choice between 64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB of storage. And the two upper range versions offered 8 GB of RAM, compared to 4 GB on the two lower-end versions.

With Surface Pro 3, the firm takes the next logical step and finally offers microprocessor changes across what is now five available product editions. (With Surface Pro 2, each product edition utilized the same mid-level Core i5 processor.) So we see an interesting mix of processors, RAM and storage across the these five versions, with the entry-level Surface Pro 3 providing an Intel Core i3 processor, the two mid-level versions offering the same Core i5 processor (but different RAM and storage allotments) and the two high-end versions of course offering a Core i7.

That seems pretty straightforward. But each component deserves at least a slightly longer explanation. Or a lot longer, in the case of the CPUs.

CPUs

Since Microsoft's official specs sheet for the Surface Pro 3 doesn't identify exactly which processor it's using in each model, I had to ask around. To the average user, this stuff doesn't matter too much, but if you have specific needs, understanding which processors are available and how they compare to each other—and to the processor types in competing devices—is at least somewhat relevant.

Each is a 4th generation Intel Core "Haswell" processor. These are ultra-low-voltage (ULV) parts with dual cores and Hyper-Threading that utilize a 22mm die size. Each includes an integrated Intel HD Graphics chipset, which varies from processor to processor. There is no dedicated graphics option on any Surface Pro 3 model and perhaps that is something we'll see added in a future generation Surface.

Mid-level. The two mid-level Surface Pro 3 models both offer the same dual-core Intel Core i5-4300U processor with Intel HD Graphics 4400. It offers a base speed of 1.6 GHz with Turbo Boost speeds of up to 2.9 GHz.

High-end. The two high-end Surface Pro 3 models both offer the same Intel Core i7-4650U processor with with Intel HD Graphics 5000. It offers a base speed of 1.7 GHz with Turbo Boost speeds of up to 3.3 GHz.

As you might surmise from these numbers, each model represents a fairly significant performance boost over its preceding model's chipset, thanks in part to higher Turbo Boost possibilities, but also the bump in integrated graphics capabilities. It is worth noting, too, that none of these chipsets are particularly new: Each dates back to early 2013, and each is the same processor generation we saw previously in Surface Pro 2. In fact, the mid-level offering is identical to what Microsoft provided with Surface Pro 2. (This explains, in part, why I earlier referred to this product as a Surface "2.5" device; from a chipset perspective, it's the same as Surface 2.)

But there is a bit more going on here.

For starters, Microsoft is handling power management differently in this release, and that can impact both performance (bad) and battery life (good). For the first time, at least that I'm aware of, the Intel Core-based Surface Pro 3 lineup supports Connected Standby—or what is now annoyingly called InstantGo—meaning that if you use the device with the default Balanced power plan, you will see the same quick sleep and resume performance—and background software updating while the device power-sips while sleeping—that you can get with Intel Atom- and ARM-based systems.

In day to day use, the average user won't notice any performance issues at all, but they will notice that Surface Pro 3 sleeps and resumes nearly instantaneously, which is of course a good thing. But as Johnathan Gabriel—a noted Surface fan and the artist behind Penny Arcade—just noted in a blog post, if you're doing heavy graphics work, you will almost certainly want to get a higher-end, i7-based Surface Pro 3. I suspect the power management stuff has as much to do with his performance issues as does the chipset.

If you don't mind nixing Connected Standby/InstantGo, you can of course simply switch from Balanced to some other plan in Power Options. I've not tried this, but I think I might do so to test the differences. My guess is that this could dramatically reduce battery life, however. It will certainly spin up the fan more often.

Second, it's perhaps useful to compare the processors offered here with what Apple offers in its competing products. They are, after all, the benchmarks.

For MacBook Air, Apple offers a 1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 part with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.7GHz, configurable to a 1.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i7. Without looking up the model numbers, the clock speeds alone tell us that those are slightly lower-end parts that the corresponding Surface Pro 3 chips. But they're comparable.

For the 13-inch MacBook Pro, Apple offers higher-end chips: a 2.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 2.9GHz) up to 2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz). Again, without looking up the model numbers, it's clear that these are significantly more powerful than what's offered in Surface Pro 3.

Maybe I'm oversimplifying things here, but I'd say that while the Surface Pro 3 is architecturally a lot closer to the MacBook Air than the MacBook Pro, it also sits somewhat between the two Apple products from a specs perspective. Certainly, Surface Pro 3 "competes" with both in every sense of the word.

RAM

There's not too much to say about the RAM except that it is dual-channel LPDDR3. This is the same RAM that Apple uses in its MacBook Air lineup, but is slightly different than the DDR3L RAM that Apple uses in its MacBook Pro line. I'm not a hardware/RAM expert, but my understanding is that the LPDDR3 RAM used by Surface Pro 3 and MacBook Air is designed for devices that required advanced power management capabilities, whereas DDR3L uses slightly more power and is a bit less efficient.

Storage

I will sometimes refer to the internal storage in Surface Pro 3 as "SSD" storage, but there is no actual SSD drive in the device. Instead, it perhaps fairer to say that Surface Pro 3, like Apple's products and so many other competitors, utilizes some form of onboard, non-upgradeable/replaceable solid state storage. Whatever. The various storage allotments are clearly defined and easily understood.

What's more important here, I think, is the bugaboo that was raised sometime during the lifetime of the original Surface RT and Surface 2/Pro 2: Available disk space. That is, each device comes with some stated amount of onboard storage, but because Windows and whatever other software takes up a big chunk of it, the space available to the user is always quite a bit less than that reported amount.

Thanks to a variety of factors, Surface Pro 3 has more available disk space than the corresponding Surface Pro 2 models. A big part of this is the improvements in Windows 8.1 with Update 1, of course. But it's not just Windows, of course: Microsoft also bundles a bit of additional software on the device, like the Office 2013 installer.

Which one would I get?

While I applaud the additional product editions in Surface Pro 3, this product line obviously needs to mature to the point where customers can use a real configurator to add and remove components at purchase time. For example, I'd like the higher-end i7 processor and 8 GB of RAM, which I feel are a bit more future-proof, but don't need more than 128 GB of storage. Such a device is not available for purchase today.

Given that, and my own needs, I feel like the sweet spot of the Surface lineup is with the i5 models, at least for those who will use the device primarily as a laptop/tablet. And if I were putting my own money down, I'd probably go with the second model—the Intel Core i5, 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of solid state storage—despite a few misgivings about the RAM in particular. That would set me back $1128 with the necessary Type Cover—see Surface Pro 3: Let's Talk About the Price for a discussion on that important aspect of the device—which isn't unreasonable for a PC of this caliber.

Or would I? Honestly, given the quality of this device, I could see docking it and using it as a desktop replacement. In such as case, I'd go with the fourth model—the Intel Core i7, 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of solid state storage—for $1678. That's $500 more expensive, but again, is not bad for what that is, assuming fan noise isn't an issue and that ULV chipset is strong enough for my virtualization needs.

So many questions. But this is early days, and your needs will of course differ from mine.

Discuss this Article 33

I need to see more tests but to answer your initial question, right now I lean towards the i5 and 8Gb of RAM model. Here is why:

First because while, like you Paul, I don't care much about storage above 128Gb (thanks to the microSDHC port), I prefer getting 8Gb of RAM instead of 4 considering (1) the SP3 comes with the x64 version of Windows 8.1 Pro and (2) I need to stay ready for the future and a Windows 9 upgrade.
Second, the differences between the proposed i7 and i5 don't seem major (q.v., http://tinyurl.com/p6qv9wy).

That being said, the only thing that makes me sit a bit on the fence right now is that the i5 uses the HD 4400 Graphics and, sadly, you need one of the i7 versions to benefit from the HD 5000...

Last, I read Gabe's article earlier today too and it looks like it just requires further optimisation; something I'm not worried about considering the monthly updates we've seen with the previous Surfaces.

Something I think might help Microsoft in a future generation is to think about graphics.

Intel graphics just doesn't cut it if you want to call it a truly Pro experience for "Creatives". It'd be interesting to see them squeeze in an Nvidia chip in there somehow to supplement that Intel chip (at least as an option).

While I agree with this and would also much prefer a nVidia GPU chip rather than an Intel one, I haven't surrendered all hope to see a few eGPU using the mDP port appearing on the market to supplement ultrabooks and tablets such as the Surface Pro 3.
All that is missing for that right now is Intel endorsement—and support—of the technology.

And if not, why the hell not? These systems should have very fast SSD's in them, and there is no real downside to using a compressed image for Windows on any SSD. The big upside is that you can get a baseline 64-bit Windows install, with all the current updates (including Update 1) into a 3-4GB footprint (plus the requisite space for a swapfile), thereby freeing up approximately 60-75% of a typical baseline install of Windows 8.1 U1 with the post-U1 updates.

In my own lab tests, the performance drop from going from an uncompressed Windows image to a compressed WIMboot image was in the FRACTIONS OF A SINGLE PERCENTAGE difference, which isn't perceivable and can be stricken as nothing more than errata. Microsoft did WIMboot right. There is no reason not to use it, UNLESS you're still using spinning hard drives (the WIMboot image is meant to go at the end of the hard drive - the slowest part of a spinning disk....BUT, I'm testing the feasibility of putting it at the front of the drive to see if that makes a difference). WIMboot images are specially-optimized WIM files for the task using an alternate compression algorithm over standard WIM's, but I wish they would just tweak it to better deal with hard drive performance issues and then set it as the default installation method on all new Windows installs. This way, everybody gets a recovery partition with a standard install. Building the scripts necessary to deploy a WIMboot image is pretty complicated, and only advanced-level system builders and deployment pros should attempt it, but it is well worth the trouble when you see the drive space savings and recovery benefits.

I don't get why you would have to nix Connected Standby/InstantGo, to switch from Balanced to some other plan in Power Options. Just because I want to opt for Performance while using the device, with the associated loss of life and fan noise, why should I have to give up 'resume from sleep' speed, and alerts, notifications, while 'asleep'. It's not like those features should use more power, just because the power settings allow more performance. Right?

I probably don't need 256GB, but I pre-ordered the i5/8GB/256GB model because I'd feel better having the 8GB of RAM. I'd also feel better having the Core i7, but I just don't want to wait the extra 2+ months for it to ship.

given these are tablets made on batches, you'll never get a configuration tool. nobody will do that because these are not made on demand unlike laptops are. they would have to stock every SKU combination and that would lead to massive inventory losses. this is a pipe dream paul.

I think that i3 model number might be wrong. The only 4200Y Intel offers is the i5-4200Y. Also, the i5 and i7 offerings are U-series, so I'd be surprised to see a Y-series i3 show up at the entry level (if it's true, it would offer great battery life). Lastly, the i3's offer hyperthreading, but they don't turbo-boost.

That said, if the i3 hits 1.9ghz and is a U-series chip, then it might be the 4030U. Also, all of the U-series line offers HD 4400 graphics. The only way to get HD 4200 graphics is to drop down to an i3 Y series, but those get painfully slow without turbo.

There will *never* be dedicated graphics of any value on any Surface tablet. You'd need to go from cooling 15W to 30-40W, doubling the load on the fans, increasing thickness and decreasing battery life by a significant amount. These CPUs are already the best of the best which Intel offers, likely best binned parts to allow for cooling in such a thin profile.

To those hoping for more GPU oomph, Broadwell should offer 30-40% more performance but we should all be clear what the Surface is for. It's not going to replace a gaming PC. It's not the same as a CAD workstation with Quadro or FirePro GPUs. It will not make you breakfast. You have to determine if the Surface will fit into your life.

The amount of free space in entry level model is insufficient. I'm surprised that Windows 8.1 update 1 didn't clean up the space issue. 27 GB is way too much to be saved for the operating system plus the apps or applications. Does it still have the hidden partition with the recovery backup? Eliminating this could free up 4 GB. My preference is the OS should use no more than 5 GB.

Another thing, an option of i3 128 GB would resolve the problem. The i5 128 GB is expensive at $999. I'm not made of money. I may just have to wait for the second generation device.

I agree 64GB would be tight, but presumably you wouldn't store any space-hogging media on it -- that's what the microSD slot is for. A good 64GB card is only $37 right now, and you really could buy several and swap them out as needed (movies on one, music on another, etc.).

A couple years back (when SSDs were new & expensive) I survived on an 80GB boot drive, but it was a constant battle to keep free space from running low. Of course, I had a lot of big-footprint software on there too: Office, Adobe Creative Suite, Visual Studio Pro, etc.

You mentioned already that the "Haswell" processors in the Surfaces are 'old'. And, given that the i5 processors used in the Surface Pro 3 are nearly identical to the Surface Pro 2. What would your best guess be when Microsoft will begin to put the "Broadwell" architecture in the Surface Pro 3, or will they hold off and wait for their next iteration of the device?

Intel said they will deliver for the Holiday season but hardly for back-to-school, so I don't rexpect to see a Broadwell-based SP4 before some time next year.

That's the one I was actually waiting for, but it's gonna be too long a wait. However, if the next iteration is that good and, let's say, without the need for a fan, then I'll resell the SP3 and upgrade wihout problem and all the more so because the Surface Pro's seem to keep high reselling value.

I believe the i5-4300U has a base speed of 1.9 GHz, not 1.6 GHz. (http://ark.intel.com/products/76308) WIth that said, I'm not sure how the i7 is favorable as the only advantages it has over the i5 is a higher Turbo Boost frequency and a slightly better integrated graphics chip. Unless Microsoft has a secret sauce for the i7 version, I don't think we'll see much of a difference.

I'm honestly a bit nervous about the overall performance of the Surface 3 Pro since it bumps up the display resolution significantly without a significant boost in the processing department. Time will tell if I should be worried.

I think my sweet spot is right around what you stated as a possible choice: i7 wiht 8gb and 265gb of storage. I am tryingto shed files from my present PC to the cloud and a networked Live Drive at 2Tb. It is difficult when one has allowed the on-board data on a 750gb drive to run amok. So going to this in a dock situation as you note, I conceivably could go to the 256gb, plus my 150gb OneDrive (which actually is a backup of much of my data already, and the files on the WD cloud drive. When one considers throwing in a 64gb MicroSD, there would be nearly 300gb onboard storage, actualy near the "real" data without duplications plus programs and apps installed. Seems almost romantica to consider simply lifting the Pro 3 out of the dock, closing the cover, and going, with access to my OneDrive still available through my Wi-Fi router in my bag.

Big question: I have a Surface RT and use the Surface wireless mouse with it. Can I use this on the Pro 3 as it doesn't require a dongle?

Will your site be writing a review of the reasons Microsoft choose the Ntrig digitizer technology over Wacom? I was not even aware this hardware choice had occured until I visited my local Microsoft store and read a somewhat tech review from the Penny Arcade site, thanks.

What's your take on Microsoft using N-trig technology over Wacom? Any plans for a detailed review? I was completely unaware of this hardware change until an employee at the Microsoft store filled me in. The Penny Arcade website has a first look review on this but it's not very detailed, thanks.

I think this is a great step forward for Microsoft and that it indicates that the people who understand Microsoft's markets are back in charge, finally! Leave the "tablet think" to Apple and Nintendo...;) These notebooks make a lot sense.

However, "desktop replacements," they "ain't"...;) For less than $1678, you can buy a desktop with 2x-4x the ram, 4x-8x the storage space, a three-year factory warranty, a 27" IPS panel monitor (some new single-asic 4k 27"-30" monitors ring the bell at < $800), the same or better cpu, and a GPU that gobbles Intel HD5000's like hors d' oeuvres, and is serviceable and internally/upgradable & expandable by the owner. (Almost forgot, the batteries never get low and never have to be charged!) A desktop, like the big TV in your living room, is designed to sit comfortably in one place while you park your other end in a comfortable place and use it.

Portability costs through the nose, as always, and is also highly overrated, imo. But these S3's are light years beyond a wonky tablet, no doubt about it.

What you're talking about isn't just a desktop, it's a full-fledged workstation! Among other things, and because it can easily replace a desktop when docked, the SP3 does look like a desktop replacement to me,

Now as far as I'm concerned, it seems the SP3 will replace the Dell XPS 18 and the Dell Venue 8 Pro I had intended to buy soon to replace my desktops, laptop and tablet. That's basically a minimum of $1700 for you (and even more for me having to pay that in €uros). Anyway, don't expect me to travel with a desktop in a backpack! *chuckles*
More seriously, we all have different needs and that's the PC market's greatest strength: you have the choice.

And no, the portability costs aren't overrated: sure, you can get a cheap laptop, but, for all intend and purpose, it will be just that: cheap. If you want quality, thinness, light weight, then it implies more R&D and better components. After all, there is a reason why we call that premium products, isn't it? ;-)

Agreed about "desktop replacement" if you ignore the pen input. This is useful for art and CADD applications. Remember to factor in the cost of a Wacom Cintiq 13HD ($999) or the Lenovo LT 1423P ($449/549 Wireless - a "game changer", if only it were available and worked).

It's obvious they don't want to sell a "low end" Surface Pro 3 because the lack of options for the i3 is disappointing. My sweet spot would be a core i3, 128 GB SSD and 8 GB of RAM for $899 or $949. That would come out to $1028/$1077 out the door for the core i3 version I desire. I word process, occasional lite Excel use, email and web surfing, video watching does not require very much CPU or GPU power and this would get excellent battery life. It would probably replace my Asus UX31E with 128 GB SSD, 4 GB ram, 4-5 hour battery life, aluminum chassis, 1600x900 display at 3.00 lbs.

Just FYI, "Jonathan Gabriel" is just a pseudonym - Gabe's real name is Mike Krahulik.

Also, I've seen it hypothesized on Reddit that the "lag" that Gabe reports in Photoshop is just the normal N-Trig hover lag (which is apparently due to the pen sampling less often when it's not touching the screen in order to save power?), since he does mention that there isn't lag when he's actually touching the screen.

Pirate, since you mention Photoshop, I -- a mere mortal, layperson, not a techie -- am hitting you with this question first. Will the top-end SP3 do OK with something like Premiere Elements 10 doing simple editing of HD footage (trim clips, then merge, for instance), and subsequent rendering (.mts files to .mp4, or to an ISO file for burning DVDs).

I need to go on the road periodically to video in 45-minute stretches, and render in the evening for quick distribution (teaching situation). When I started with standard def video, my original machine was a laptop with 7200 rpm HDD, NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT, and 2.53 GHz Intel P8700 processor. When I went to high-def video, the processor couldn't keep up, so I use a gaming desk-top to process the footage at home. Really need something that can do it in the field, but am not finding laptops these days that can handle it (the original laptop was a customized HP) without going above $2K. Your opinion? Anyone else? Thanks!

Can anyone comment on the relative power consumption / battery life between the i5/Intel 4400 graphics combo and the i7/Intel 5000? What I'm wondering is whether the battery life is significantly reduced with the faster processors, and secondarily is the performance enhancement noticeable enough to be worth it? Of course I am aware that the individual use (graphics intensive or not, lots of video, etc) plays a role in this choice. Just wondering what the actual practical, observable differences between the 2 in use and battery life would be.

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